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FALL 2025

Medicine and the Sacred in Islam

Mukhtar Ali

Join the live class
November 3, 2025 7:00 PM
(Local Timezone)
ONLINE COURSE
6-WEEK
TBA
LECTURES
MONDAYS | 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
TBA
FIRST CLASS
NOVEMBER 3, 2025
TBA

Description

This course explores the rich interplay between healing, spirituality, and religious thought in the Islamic tradition by examining how conceptions of health, illness, and treatment are rooted in Islamic cosmology, theology, Sufism, and ethics. We will delve into the historical and philosophical foundations of Prophetic Medicine (al-ṭibb al-nabawī), Greco-Islamic humoral theory, and Sufi approaches to spiritual healing, investigating how Islamic conceptions of the sacred inform medical practice and the pursuit of human well-being.

Texts

Abu-Asb et al., Avicenna’s Medicine

Ali, “Reading the Soul”

Chishti, , The Book of Sufi Healing

Nasr, Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study 

Nasr, An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines

Pormann and Savage-Smith, Medieval Islamic Medicine

Description and Texts

Prerequisite

  • This course has no prerequisites. It presupposes no prior knowledge of the Islamic intellectual tradition. 
  • It is open to both traditional and non-traditional learners (those who do not fit the standard profile of young, full-time students who enroll directly from high school). Anyone may enroll in this course provided they are deeply interested in the topic.

Structure of Class

  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Format: Lecture and Q&A
    • Lecture: 50–60 minutes
    • Q&A: 25–30 minutes
  • Some classes will include student activities.

Q&A Structure

  • Students may interact with the instructor directly by using the Zoom “Raise Hand” feature.
  • Students may also type their questions in the chat box.
  • Depending on the flow of the class, the instructor will decide whether to take questions during the lecture or at the end.

Follow-Up

  • Students are welcome to follow up with the instructor regarding any aspects of the class.
  • The instructor will respond either by email or during the next class session.

Readings

  • Students will be assigned readings before each class.
  • They are expected to complete the readings in advance to maximize their participation in class.

Outcome

  • In line with our educational philosophy, the Tokat courses “embrace an anthropocosmic perspective wherein one comes to actualize an awareness that integrates the rational, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of one’s being.” 
  • In general, these courses are meant to provide students with intellectual and spiritual resources to understand and explore the intellectual dimension of Islam. Such resources are indispensable in an age marked by misinformation and shallowness, when the pursuit of authentic knowledge has become increasingly elusive.

Schedule of Meetings & Readings

November 3

Topic: A Brief History of Islamic Medicine 

Readings: Pormann and Savage-Smith, Medieval Islamic Medicine, 6–40

November 10

Topic: Sacred Foundations of Medicine 

Readings: Nasr, Islamic Science, 153–192 

November 17

Topic: Islamic Cosmology and Human Flourishing 

Readings: Nasr, An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines, 44–66

November 24

Topic: Spiritual Perspectives on Health 

Readings: Chishti, The Book of Sufi Healing, excerpts

December 1

Topic: Diagnosis and the Spiritual Physician 

Readings: Ali, “Reading the Soul”

December 8

Topic: Greco-Islamic Medicine: Theory and Practice 

Readings: Abu-Asb et al., Avicenna’s Medicine, excerpts 

                  Pormann and Savage-Smith, Medieval Islamic Medicine, 41–80 

Instructor Bio
Mukhtar Ali